Necticut



(No Model.)

F. H. BEEGHER 8v R. G. OORNFORTH.

GROWN PIECE FOR BICYCLE FORKS.

No. 544,082. I Patented Aug. 6, 1895.

WITNES it a i a jr/I NVENTORS Xgq 8% I WZ Q Q% )Z QWQWM, %wwww UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. BEECHER AND ROBERT e. OORNFORTH, or SEYMOUR, CON- NEOTIOUT.

CROWN-PIECE Foe BICYCLE-FORKS.-

SEECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 544,082, dated August 6, 1895.

To all whom it quay-concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK H. BEECHER and ROBERT G. CORNFORTH, citizens of the United States, residing at Seymour, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grown-Pieces for Bicyole-Forks; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to the manufacture of bicycle-fork crowns, and has for its object to produce a crown piece consisting of a rounded body provided with a central hub through which the steering-bar passes and able shaping-dies.

to which the hub is brazed, and at each end with sockets adapted to receive the side.

pieces of the fork, and which is bent to shape from a single blank of metal. With these ends in view we have devised the novel crownpiece of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to designate the several parts.

Figure l is a plan view, Fig. 2 a section on the line m 00,.Fig. '3 an end of elevation, and Fig. t an inverted plan view of our novel crown-piece complete; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the crown-piece is formed.

1 denotes the body, at the center of which is a hub 2, and 3 denotes the sockets, which are adapted to receive the side-bars of the fork.

A (see Fig. 5) denotes the blank from which the crown-piece is formed. The blank is first struck out to substantially the form shown from a piece of sheet metal, and may or may not be provided at its ends with undercut tongues 4 and corresponding recesses 5 to receive the tongues. The hub, body, and sockets are formed from the blank in suit- The hub is provided with a central opening 6 straight through it, which receives the lower end of the steering-bar of a bicycle, the hub being in practice brazed to the bar, and a portion of the center of the blank being struck out to form the opening at the top ofthe crown-piece. The sockets on medal.)

may or may not be closed at the top, as at '7. The ends of the sockets are formed by curving the portions of the blank at each end, which are specifically indicated by a a, toward each other, the edges of said portions abutting, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, these abutting edges being ordinarily brazed together and the side bars of the fork brazed in the sockets before the parts are japanned. We preferably, as already stated, provide the portions of the blank specifically indicated by a a with undercut tongues and corresponding recesses which are adapted to interlock when the blank is brought to shape, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that the portions forming the ends of the sockets are locked together against any strain that can possibly be placed upon them.

The shape of the body is of course not of the essence of our invention, although we preferably round it substantially as shown in the drawings and close it on the under side by bringing the portions of the blank specifically indicated byb b together, so that they abut. In practice these edges may or may not be brazed together, and mayor may not be provided with interlocking tongues and recesses such as are shown upon portions (1 (1.

Having thus described our invention, we claim-- 1. A crown piece for bicycles shaped from a single blank of metal and consisting of a rounded body, a central hub open at both ends and adapted to receive the steering bar and sockets which are adapted to receive the side bars of the fork, said blank being provided at-its ends with portions ct-a which are closed together to form the ends of the sockets and with portions b -b which are closed together to form the under side of the body and the edges of which assist in forming the hub and sockets. V

2. A crown piece for bicycles shaped from a single blank of metal and consisting of a rounded body, a central hub open at both ends and adapted to receive the steering bar and sockets which are adapted to receive the side bars of the fork, said blank being pro vided at its ends with portions a-a which are closed together to form the ends of the sockets, said portions a-a being provided with In testimony whereof We affix our signertongnes and recesses whereby the portions of tures in presence of two witnesses.

the blank which form the ends of the sockets FRANK II. BEEGI-IER.

are locked together, and. with portions bb ROBERT G. CORNFOR'IH. 5 which are closed together to form the under Witnesses:

side of the body and the edges of which as- HENRY H. BANCROFT,

sist in forming the hub and sockets. F. \V. ADAMS. 

